Facebook and Twitter can be both friend and foe to detectives, police say

Vermont State Police detectives now may ask a question during interviews with crime witnesses they would not have asked several years ago: “Please do not post what we talked about to your Facebook page.”

"It's a very fine dance," Vt. State Police Maj. Ed Ledo said about the relationship between detectives and social media. "That information comes out so fast [on Twitter and Facebook]. Our investigations don't move at that speed."

In some recent high-profile cases, detectives have been challenged, Ledo said, by citizens sharing information online that police didn't want many people knowing.

After the March disappearance of 33-year-old St. Johnsbury Academy science teacher Melissa Jenkins, police said Facebook lit up with discussion about who the mother might have encountered the night she was killed. In the small community, detectives worried the talk on Facebook could have let the suspects know police were onto them. "That could have shut them down and caused them to do other things to cover their tracks," Ledo said, offering one possible outcome of the spread of delicate investigative information.

Allen Prue, 30, and his wife Patricia Prue, 33, both of Waterford, Vt., were arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the Jenkins case. In court, both denied the allegations against them and are currently jailed without bail.

Police working another Vermont case blamed text messaging and internet postings for slowing down their still on-going probe into the death of Chris Davis, 22, found in April in a St. Albans pool. Police Chief Gary Taylor said speculation and rumors ran rampant, sending detectives on wild goose chases. "It's hard to separate rumors from legitimate leads, but we're trying to do that," Taylor told WPTZ-TV on April 19.

Still, many police agencies regard social media as a very valuable tool in their toolbox. Services like Facebook and Twitter sometimes can reveal evidence police use in their investigations, Ledo said. He noted that authorities also use the sites to blast out safety alerts, solicit tips, and pinpoint travels of missing people. Investigators do not want to pressure Vermonters at all to disconnect from their favorite websites, Ledo added.

"People love to share their experiences," noted Carolyn Bonifield, a professor at the University of Vermont School of Business Administration.

Bonifield said despite all the benefits of online networks, their potential pitfalls mean organizations need to stay alert. "You need to be proactive," she said. "Not put in a position where you're simply reacting. And I think having a game plan is critical."

Vermont State Police detectives now often end witness interviews with a gentle request, Ledo said: "[A detective may say], 'Anything that we cover here, please do not repeat on social media.'"

Ledo and Bonifield both predicted that social media usage will only continue to grow, creating a new normal for law enforcement as more and more people find ways to connect and share information.